Women's Beach Team Wins in Puerto Rico

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 22, 2013) – The U.S. beach volleyball team of Sara Hughes and Lane Carico won the Porta del Sol Beach Volleyball Tournament at Boqueron, Puerto Rico, part of the NORCECA Beach Circuit, on Sunday.

Lane Carico, left, and Sara Hughes celebrate their win.

Hughes and Carico scored a 21-10, 21-18 victory over Canada’s Kacie MacTavish and Caleigh Whitaker. The U.S. women’s team of Stevi Robinson and Kirby Burnham placed fourth while the men’s team of Derek Olson and Kevin McColloch finished fifth.

It was the second consecutive NORCECA podium for Carico, who teamed up with Heather Hughes to win the bronze medal in Mazatlán, Mexico the previous weekend.

In the semifinal round, Hughes and Carico came from behind to claim a three-set (14-21, 21-13, 16-14) victory over Martha Revuelta and Bibi Candelas of Mexico. MacTavish-Whitaker also needed three sets to win 21-10, 17-21, 15-7 against the U.S. team of Stevi Robinson and Kirby Burnham. Revuelta and Candelas defeated Robinson and Burnham fell to Revuelta and Candelas in the bronze medal match, 21-18, 21-11.

“It is our first international tournament playing together and it was great to have the chance in the finals,” Carico said in a NORCECA press release. “We haven’t played against them in Mazatlan so we didn’t have any expectations and focused on our side of the net.”

Hughes, a bronze medalist in this year’s FIVB U-19 World Championship in Porto, Portugal, said: “It is only our second time playing together. We were tested in the semifinals by a great Mexican team.”